22 September 2020- The Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, approved the second National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNACC) 2021-2030, a tool whose main objective is to build a less vulnerable, safer and more resilient country to the impacts and risks of climate change, capable of anticipating, responding and adapting to a changing climate context.
The presentation of the PNACC 2021-2030 was one of the commitments established in the Council of Ministers’ agreement of 21 January 2020 to
approved the Government’s Declaration on Climate and Environmental Emergency. After through a broad participatory process, the document adopted by the Government is not only responding to the need to adapt to significant risks climate change issues facing Spain but is instead aligned with the new policies proposed by the European Council linking the
adaptation with the policies of recovery from the pandemic.
In this regard, the Vice President of the Government and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, stressed that “climate action is not a watertight compartment, but is integrated as the backbone of European actions in the context of post-COVID recovery”. The PNACC “represents our national scheme for risk management, gives certainty to investors and will allow us to better guide the recovery we are undertaking”. Without a doubt, the PNACC will help to generate a more resilient primary sector, to bring cohesion and structure to the rural environment, to prepare us for higher quality tourism, to create safer infrastructure and to recover biodiversity, among other issues”.
“With adaptation policies, we will not only avoid or minimise damage; we will also provide greater economic and social stability and new opportunities, as investments in planned adaptation, whether public or private, can create new economic activities and employment opportunities, reducing the uncertainty associated with climate change,” Ribera added.
INSTRUMENT FOR PLANNING
The PNACC is thus configured as a basic planning instrument to promote coordinated and coherent action, from a transversal (from different fields), multilateral (by different actors) and multilevel (from different territorial scales) perspective, in the face of the risks and threats presented by climate change in the different spheres of society. Without prejudice to the competences of the various public administrations, the PNACC defines objectives, criteria, areas of application and actions to build resilience, anticipate and minimize damage, and define guidelines for the sectors and society.
Specifically, it defines and describes 81 lines of action to be developed in the different socio-economic sectors of the country, organised into 18 areas of work, including human health, water and water resources, natural heritage, biodiversity and protected areas, coasts and marine environment, forest protection, the fight against desertification, agriculture and livestock and food security.
The main objective of this new PNACC, which covers the 2021-2030 time horizon, is to establish a roadmap to respond to the growing needs for adaptation to climate change in Spain, with the ultimate aim of avoiding or reducing economic, social and ecological risks and promoting better preparation for recovery after the impacts.
In Spain, the impact of climate change is becoming increasingly evident. The average temperature in the territory as a whole has risen by around 1.7ºC since pre-industrial times (1ºC for the planet as a whole), summer has lengthened by five weeks compared to the early 1980s and the extent of areas with a semi-arid climate has increased by more than 30,000 km2 in 20 years.
And it is not only what is analysed and observed. For the future, science reminds us that, in the absence of adaptation responses, the impacts in Spain will be increasingly serious, and in a scenario of a 2ºC increase in average global temperature, they will be twice as virulent as if we manage to contain this rise in thermometers by 1.5ºC.
TOWARDS A STRONG ECONOMY AND AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY
Key sectors of our economy, such as agriculture, forestry, tourism and transport, are closely dependent on the climate. Many other areas, such as human health, biodiversity and housing, are also essential for our well-being. The NCCP therefore aims to improve our ability to anticipate and identify the best directions for the different sectors of our economic activity if we want to build a strong economy and an inclusive society with new employment opportunities for young people.
In this regard, and following the public information process, the document adopted today by the Council of Ministers explicitly states our responsibility towards future generations and recognises their role as stakeholders in all policies aimed at mitigating climate change and preventing or reducing the risks it poses.
As a result of the intense participatory process, the document has incorporated other improvements, among which it is worth highlighting that the set of responsible and collaborating institutions has been expanded in around thirty lines of action, almost always at the suggestion of the interested parties themselves, which reflects a very notable willingness of public administrations, social organisations and the private sector to become involved in the definition and application of adaptation measures. New heritage aspects to be taken into account have also been incorporated, including landscape and geological heritage, while the scope of work on biodiversity has been extended to include the whole of the natural heritage.
REINFORCING INFORMATION AND MONITORING TOOLS
The National Plan of Adaptation to Climate Change 2021-2030 significantly strengthens the instruments for information and monitoring of public adaptation policies, including reports on climate risks and, for the first time, an initial collection of 30 indicators which should provide a dynamic view of the effects of climate change and the progress made in adaptation.
CROSS-CUTTING ACTION LINES
In addition to the sectoral guidelines, the plan proposes seven key lines of work to make them transversal to all areas:
-Territorial and social vulnerability. Since extreme events affect in a very unequal way both socially and territorially, in all sectors geographical analyses in risk studies will be promoted, as well as the development of adaptation plans for very vulnerable spaces and support will be given to adaptation policies of territorially based organizations. In addition, in the
In the social sphere, the groups and communities with the highest level of risk will be identified and adaptive responses will be developed according to the levels of vulnerability.
-Cross-border effects. The effects of climate change beyond our borders can affect Spain. For this reason, the Plan provides for the identification of the cause-effect chains which transfer the impacts occurring outside our territory and the definition of strategies to reduce the risks.
-Gender focus. Given that climate change does not affect men and women equally, the PNACC will analyse data on exposure, vulnerability and impacts disaggregated by gender; consider differences in risk perception and behaviour; and promote the role of women as agents and leaders of change.
-Prevention of maladjustment and perverse incentives The Plan provides for the creation of checklists for the screening of potential adaptation measures, the evaluation of their social effects and their ecological footprint and the incorporation of criteria to prevent counterproductive effects (so-called “maladaptation”) in public aid.
-Costs and benefits of adaptation and inaction There will be an estimate of the costs and benefits of action and inaction, and the conclusions will be considered in decision-making.
-Orientation to action. Adaptation options will be assessed based on risk analysis, concrete measures will be planned and implemented, and monitoring and evaluation will be carried out for continuous improvement in all sectors.
PROCESSING AND CONSULTATIONS
The preparation of the PNACC began with an in-depth evaluation of the previous Adaptation Plan, with the participation of a wide range of people with experience in this field, to continue with the call for deliberative workshops, to which a large number of people and organisations from the public and private sectors were invited.
The first draft of this plan was submitted for public information between 4 May and 30 June. During this period, more than 1,500 comments were received from 182 organisations and individuals. After the public information period, the updated draft of the plan was submitted to the Climate Change Policy Coordination Commission, the National Climate Council and the Environmental Advisory Council, which assessed it in monographic sessions. More than 50 comments and observations were made in these collegiate bodies, which were studied and evaluated, and new changes were incorporated into the document.
PLANIFICATION IN THE FIELD OF ENERGY AND CLIMATE
The new National Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2021-2030 is part of a series of energy and climate planning instruments jointly aimed at avoiding or reducing the worst effects of climate change, including the draft Climate Change and Energy Transition Law, the Long-Term Strategy for a Modern, Competitive and Climate-Neutral Economy in 2050 and the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan. All three documents include adaptation to climate change and have connections to the new PNACC.
Source: https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/prensa/200922cmaprobaciondelpnacc_tcm30-512056.pdf
This translation was produced by a machine, no liability is accepted for errors or mistakes.
